When was the last time you burned over 9,000 calories in a single training session?
In this video you’ll hear about my experience with burning well over 9k in a single day–and the short lived elation when I got real about just what that means in terms of fat-loss.
My 9K Day in Other Words
In my training for the Triple Bypass I wore a Garmin 305 that tracks not only my heart rate but nearly every possible detail of each training ride, including distance, elevation, altitude and total calories burned. For a guy (being me) who’s been used to burning 300 or 400 cal’s in a cardio session it was mind-boggling to see my numbers soar to 2,000 and then 3,000 cals. Before long I was exceeding 4, 5, 6 and then 7,000 calories in a single ride.
I wasn’t focused on burning calories but still it was exhilarating to see I was burning nearly 7,000 calories in a single training ride. Of course this meant I had to eat more–something I found myself quite able to do.
My 9K Day Epiphany
Come race day my stats showed 9 hours on the bike, over 9,000 calories burned! Who knows, maybe even 10,000+ when adjusted for lean mass.
Any way you measure it, that’s a lot of calories. That is, until you consider each pound of fat holds 3,500 calories of energy. That means that this hefty sum of calories is less than the energy contained in just 3 pounds of fat!
Now, clearly fat loss was not my goal for the Triple, nor did I burn all 9,000 cal’s from fat this day, as I was utilizing as much rapid energy from fast-carbs as I could consume.
The magnitude of the effort—the total energy I put forth to complete this event—gave me a new, and much more real sense of what it takes to burn even just 1 pound of fat.
It suddenly made more sense to me why people struggle so much to lose fat. Every TV commercial and magazine ad wants you to believe it’s easy, but the simple truth is it’s not easy.
Lose 27 lbs in 5 Weeks!?
If we could accept that losing body fat, even one pound, is never an accident and rarely easy, we might have the resolve and focus needed to adopt a successful lifestyle plan—forgoing the quick fixes and sticking with fundamental change that both works and lasts.
It’s easier to lose water weight and even easier to lose muscle than it is to drop a pound of fat. So next time you see one of those “lose 27 pounds in 5 weeks” diets, you’d do well to consider the reality—fat loss does not occur overnight and is best done more like a marathon than a sprint—through lifestyle changes rather than a diet.
Until Next Week,
Stay Strong,
Shawn
Follow Me: /Twitter/shawn_phillips
| Meet The Author, Shawn | |
 | Known as "The Fitness Philosopher," for his deep, clear approach to the cutting through the fitness conundrum, Shawn is a 20+ year veteran in the field of Lifestyle Fitness and Peak Performance. Author of several best-selling book, with one of the most photographed physiques in history, Shawn, with his brother, Bill Phillips (Body for LIFE) catapulted EAS sports nutrition into the world leader and Muscle Media magazine and the documentary movie, Body of Work. He created the first computerized training system in PowerBuilding and the popular Variable Split System for Muscle Mass. Now, in his 40's, a husband and father of two young children, Shawn is passionate about helping busy, high-achieving "men in the middle" enjoy vibrant, energized, amazing, Full Strength lives! He has recently created the World’s 1st and only true premium nutrition shake for men, Full Strength — clinically proven to build muscle, burn fat and boost energy. His most recent book, Strength for LIFE is the "how to" guide to a Lifestyle of Fitness Freedom. |
14. September 2009 at 12:43 pm
Peach and a jr. football dude. Great post. Thanks.
E.
14. September 2009 at 12:54 pm
In the video- a football (lb. of fat) and a peach (muscle)
In Strength for life- a cantaloup for the lb. of fat
14. September 2009 at 12:56 pm
Hi Shawn the props you used for muscle and fat were: JR Football and a peach:)
Thanks,
Delia
14. September 2009 at 12:58 pm
You used a cantelope and a baseball to illustrate the difference between muscle and fat…
14. September 2009 at 1:01 pm
Hi Shawn,
Props for fat and muscle are a football and a peach.
Thanks,
Jose Sanchez
14. September 2009 at 1:03 pm
You used a peach and a football to discuss a pound of fat and/or muscle.
14. September 2009 at 1:07 pm
Good info. And, you used a football and a peach in the video and you used a cantaloupe and a baseball in the book.
14. September 2009 at 1:13 pm
Per your request, you used a peach and a football to demonstrate the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle.
14. September 2009 at 1:18 pm
Was it a cantaloupe & a baseball?
14. September 2009 at 1:22 pm
Hi Shawn
In my pursuit to ‘tri’ an Iron Man Event next year I hired an email coach and she has me doing “two a days” – I have really noticed a difference in both my energy and my body. The funny thing is I have not changed my eating much therefore I think i might have been comsuming too many calories for the activity i was doing which is hard to believe but coincides with what you say in your most recent remarks.
Another thing i do believe comes into play here with me is the working out at 4:30 in the morning on an empty stomach. I wonder if this has done something to raise my metabolism. I really enjoy it and have settled into a routine – wake up early, go to work and workout again, eat and go to bed – sound exciting?????
Thanks for your interesting information.
Mary C
14. September 2009 at 1:24 pm
Props used to describe the difference between fat and muscle in the book were cantaloupes (fat volume) vs baseballs (muscle volume).
14. September 2009 at 1:25 pm
In the video you used:
1 lb Fat -> Jr Football
1 lb Muscle -> Peach
In the book
1 lb Fat -> Cantelope
1 lb Muscle -> Baseball
14. September 2009 at 1:29 pm
The answer to your question “what props I used in Strength for Life to describe the difference between muscle and fat” is Baseballs and Cantelopes. (Not sure of the cantelope spelling)
Kevin O’Malley
14. September 2009 at 1:32 pm
props were a cantaloupe and baseball
14. September 2009 at 1:32 pm
Sean, in Strength for Life you used a cantaloupe and baseball as props.
14. September 2009 at 1:43 pm
Props used in Srength for Life were cantaloupes for fat, and baseballs for muscle, where 1 lb fat is represented by the cantaloupe and 1 lb muscle by the baseball. Thanks for these weekly comms!
Best regards
Cash McCleary
14. September 2009 at 1:55 pm
1lb cantelope/fat equals 1lb baseball/muscle. XL please
Hey, Thanks for the Super Hero shirt. Nicely done!
14. September 2009 at 5:01 pm
THANKS MIKE… YOU GOT IT!
14. September 2009 at 2:34 pm
At the top of page 27 you stated that; “A pound of fat is abot the size of a cantalope. In contrast, a pound of lean muscle is about the size of a baseball”.
14. September 2009 at 3:18 pm
James, yes… that’s correct. Did I mess that up in the video?
Sorry… I was on vacation… didn’t have a cantaloupe or baseball!
14. September 2009 at 5:56 pm
You said a a pound of fat is like a cantaloupe and a pound of lean muscle is about the size of a baseball, but you used a jr football and a peach.
16. September 2009 at 6:52 am
The example certainly gets the point over. I agree totally with you.
I have tried hard to convince my good lady that the muscle takes up less space than fat, maybe now she will get it. cheers Eddie
20. September 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hi Shawn,
I just came across your lesson today from a different site and was really impressed by you. I never seen the calorie comparision of muscle and fat put that way before and left a powerful impression on me. From what I saw, you are really passionate about what you do and really want to help those of us who have been fed lies and misinformation about health and fitness all of our life. I have already added your sites to my favorites and plan on spending time reading your past articles as well as purchasing your book very soon.
Thank you for all that you do.
Ervin